In many commercial buildings, it is desirable to aesthetically separate areas of a large space with overhead panels or decorative valances projecting downward from a ceiling. These overhead panels are also referred to as soffits, valances, and bulkheads in different settings. Alternatively, overhead panels may be connected to a ceiling to provide a vertical mounting surface for advertising information, menu information, or other displays in various retail establishments. The overhead panels must have substantial thickness in order to achieve the desired decorative effect. However, the weight of these overhead panels requires significant structural elements mounted to a ceiling of the building. Many overhead panels also must be installed using hoists or similar mechanical lifting devices.
In many buildings, such as “big box” buildings having very high structural ceilings, a so-called drop ceiling is installed below the higher structural ceiling and duct work. The drop ceiling might define an area such as a food court, customer service area, or smaller retail area within the larger store. The drop ceiling includes a plurality of ceiling support members suspended from the higher ceiling and interconnected to form a grid in a horizontal plane. The drop ceiling also includes a plurality of lightweight ceiling tiles supported on the grid. Any soffits or bulkheads thus, would extend downwardly below the drop ceiling within such installations. For many reasons, a business may not desire to, or may not be actually allowed or able to, install any structure above the drop ceiling for supporting the soffit or bulkhead structures. For example, added structural members extending above the drop ceiling may interfere with air vents, wiring, and other installations concealed between the structural ceiling and the drop ceiling. Furthermore, such construction requires additional equipment to reach the higher structural ceiling and also may require that the drop ceiling be partially disassembled.
Also, existing overhead panel installations require additional structural elements to be connected to the higher structural ceiling at suitable anchor points to support the significant weight of the overhead panels. However, these installations are expensive, and may not be an option for businesses that cannot install structures above a drop ceiling in a building. Thus, it would be desirable to utilize an overhead panel installation for the purposes of creating soffits, valances, bulkheads, or other structures in areas covered by a drop ceiling.